Presentation on Houses of The Future - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 21 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–23 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Presentation on houses of the future
Questions 24–30 Matching
What opinion is given about each of the following developments?
Choose SEVEN answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-I.
A. This could cause unnecessary anxiety.
B. This would be especially beneficial for city residents.
C. This would be challenging for young people.
D. This would have environmental benefits.
E. This could encourage creativity.
F. This could lead to social problems.
G. This could enable retired people to share a project.
H. This would help some people but cause problems for others.
I. This would suit both existing and new members of a household.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | B | But we mustn't be too general, we've got to support our points by referring to specific cases. So that'll need a lot of work. MIA: I'm afraid so | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Leo saying it is important to find real examples for their presentation and that doing so will be difficult. Mia agrees that it will be hard work. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Mia and Leo are worried about finding real and specific examples to use in their talk. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Leo explains that they need to use 'specific cases' (which means examples) to prove their ideas are right, rather than just talking in a general way. He says that doing this will require 'a lot of work,' and Mia agrees with him. They are not worried about the time because they have six weeks, and Leo says they do not need to come up with their own 'creative' or original ideas. |
| Q22 | A | MIA: Good. We'd better decide now what type of housing we're going to focus on. How about housing for different generations living together? LEO: We could do. Or accommodation for one person? MIA: I think someone else is doing that. I was wondering about housing for the elderly? That's likely to become more important. LEO: Yeah that's true. But I think your suggestion about intergenerational living might be more interesting - let's go with that | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the students looking at three choices: families of different ages, one person, or old people. Leo decides that the idea of different generations living together (family groups) is the best one to use for their project. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Mia and Leo will talk about homes designed for groups of relatives, such as parents, children, and grandparents, living in the same place. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Mia and Leo discuss three options: different generations living together, single people, and the elderly. Leo suggests that the first idea, which he calls 'intergenerational living,' is the most interesting. 'Intergenerational' refers to 'family groups' where people of different ages (generations) live together. They agree to 'go with that' suggestion. |
| Q23 | B | But I think the solution is to design multi-storey apartment blocks. MIA: Building up rather than out, yes | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Leo suggesting that many-level (multi-storey) apartment buildings are the best way to fix the housing problem, and Mia agrees that building high (up) is the right choice. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Mia and Leo agree that the best way to provide more housing in cities is to build tall apartment buildings. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because even though the students mention other ideas like using old business buildings or creating small houses, they ultimately agree on building tall structures. Leo states that the "solution" is "multi-storey apartment blocks," and Mia agrees by saying "yes" and mentioning "building up." The phrase "multi-storey" and the concept of "building up" are synonyms for tall buildings. |
| Q24 | B | In fact it doesn't have to be high-rise, you can do it on a one-storey building in a suburb, but it would greatly improve how you feel if you live in an urban high-rise | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that while you can have a garden on any roof, it is most helpful for people who live in tall apartment buildings in the city. Answer Explanation: The answer means that putting gardens on roofs is very good for people who live in tall buildings in the city. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Leo says that having a roof garden 'would greatly improve how you feel if you live in an urban high-rise.' In this context, 'urban' is a synonym for 'city' and 'high-rise' refers to tall buildings where people live. The phrase 'greatly improve how you feel' shows that it is 'especially beneficial' for those city residents. |
| Q25 | E | Yes, so they aren't having to travel to an office but can still interact with others. That's often how new ideas get generated - by chatting to someone from a different profession | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mia saying that when people work together and talk, they often come up with fresh ideas. Answer Explanation: The answer says that these shared spaces could help people think of and make new things. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because Mia explains that having a shared work area allows people to talk to others from different jobs. She mentions that this interaction helps create 'new ideas.' In English, making new ideas is a key part of 'creativity' or being 'creative'. |
| Q26 | I | I read about a type of design where the internal walls of an apartment are moveable, so the space can be adapted over time as people's needs change. Like when children leave school and start working but still continue to live with their parents for many years? Or when an elderly relative moves in with the family it would mean they could still have their own space, specially designed for their needs |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that movable walls help when children stay with their parents for a long time or when an older relative comes to live with the family, because it gives everyone their own area. Answer Explanation: The answer means that walls that can move are useful for the people already living in a house and for family members who join the house later. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is I because Leo describes how moving walls allows a house to change as a family's needs change. He gives examples like adult children staying at home (existing members) and older relatives moving into the house (new members). This shows the design works well for everyone in the family, whether they have lived there for a long time or are just arriving. Keywords like 'adapted' and 'needs change' show that the house becomes suitable for different people. |
| Q27 | A | Nor am I. People might worry about conditions which aren't serious at all | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mia explaining why she thinks the mirrors might not be a good idea: they could make people feel scared about very small health issues that are not actually a problem. Answer Explanation: The answer means that using these mirrors might make people feel worried or nervous for no reason. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Mia says that smart mirrors might make people "worry" about health problems that "aren't serious at all." In English, "worry" is another word for "anxiety." If a health problem is not serious, then feeling anxious about it is "unnecessary." |
| Q28 | D | Yes. That would encourage more people to cycle, instead of using their car. Much better for the planet | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Mia believes using bikes instead of cars helps the Earth, which matches the idea of environmental benefits. Answer Explanation: The answer is that having places to keep and charge electric bikes is good for the environment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because Mia explains that having bike sheds with charging points would make more people choose to ride bicycles instead of driving cars. She explicitly states that this is "much better for the planet," which is a synonym for having "environmental benefits." |
| Q29 | H | LEO: I read about one housing development where cars had to be left just outside it, so the centre was all a pedestrianised area. Great for families with children. MIA: Maybe. But what if you're disabled or elderly, and can't walk far? It wouldn't be so good for people like that | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Leo saying that having a car-free center is good for families. However, Mia points out it is bad for people who are old or have physical disabilities because they cannot walk a long way. Answer Explanation: The answer means that stopping cars from going into certain parts of a housing area is helpful for some people, but it makes life difficult for others. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is H because both speakers discuss a place where cars are kept on the outside. Leo says this is 'great' for families with children, which shows a benefit. However, Mia explains it 'wouldn't be so good' for disabled or elderly people who cannot walk far, which shows a problem. Because there is a positive side for one group and a negative side for another group, option H is the right match. |
| Q30 | G | I saw a scheme for communal vegetable plots, where neighbours could decide what to grow together. That'd be a great way for older people to get to know one another, especially if they're no longer going out to work | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that shared gardens for vegetables allow people living nearby to choose what they want to plant as a team. This activity helps old people who are no longer working to meet and talk to their neighbors. Answer Explanation: The answer G means that sharing a garden for growing vegetables would allow people who have finished their working life (retired) to work together on a task. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is G because Mia describes how communal plots allow neighbors to decide on what to grow as a group. She specifically mentions that this is a good way for people who do not work anymore to meet each other. 'Older people' who are 'no longer going out to work' are synonyms for retired people, and deciding what to grow together describes sharing a project. |
Transcript
MIA: You know that joint presentation we've got to do this semester, Leo?
LEO: On houses of the future?
MIA: That's right. I'm a bit concerned - are we meant to come up with creative new suggestions for these houses?
LEO: I don't think so. It's more a matter of reporting and evaluating possible developments. But we mustn't be too general, we've got to support our points by referring to specific cases. So that'll need a lot of work.
MIA: I'm afraid so. When's it got to be done by?
LEO: In about 6 weeks, so that's not too much of a rush.
MIA: Good. We'd better decide now what type of housing we're going to focus on. How about housing for different generations living together?
LEO: We could do. Or accommodation for one person?
MIA: I think someone else is doing that. I was wondering about housing for the elderly? That's likely to become more important.
LEO: Yeah that's true. But I think your suggestion about intergenerational living might be more interesting - let's go with that.
MIA: OK. Now I think the future demand is mainly going to be for accommodation in urban areas. So one way of meeting that demand might be to use existing commercial buildings and adapt them to form accommodation...
LEO: ... or come up with original ways of organising space so that people can live in smaller homes. But I think the solution is to design multi-storey apartment blocks.
MIA: Building up rather than out, yes.
LEO: Let's think of some specific developments for houses of the future.
MIA: OK. How about increased use of roof space on high-rise buildings for gardens.
LEO: Yes. In fact it doesn't have to be high-rise, you can do it on a one-storey building in a suburb, but it would greatly improve how you feel if you live in an urban high-rise.
MIA: Especially if you don't have a balcony.
LEO: Yes. I think homes of the future will all need access to a shared working space, somewhere in the same building or group of houses, where people can go and work instead of just having a laptop on the kitchen table.
MIA: Yes, so they aren't having to travel to an office but can still interact with others. That's often how new ideas get generated - by chatting to someone from a different profession.
LEO: Yeah. I read about a type of design where the internal walls of an apartment are moveable, so the space can be adapted over time as people's needs change. Like when children leave school and start working but still continue to live with their parents for many years? Or when an elderly relative moves in with the family... it would mean they could still have their own space, specially designed for their needs.
MIA: Yes. Have you heard about those smart bathroom mirrors which can monitor people's health? They recognise signs of illness and contact a doctor automatically?
LEO: Hmm, not so sure they're a good idea.
MIA: Nor am I. People might worry about conditions which aren't serious at all.
LEO: What about transport? Wouldn't it be good if there were bike sheds with charging points, so people could store their electric bikes securely and charge them up at the same time.
MIA: Yes. That would encourage more people to cycle, instead of using their car. Much better for the planet.
LEO: I read about one housing development where cars had to be left just outside it, so the centre was all a pedestrianised area. Great for families with children.
MIA: Maybe. But what if you're disabled or elderly, and can't walk far? It wouldn't be so good for people like that.
LEO: No.
MIA: I saw a scheme for communal vegetable plots, where neighbours could decide what to grow together. That'd be a great way for older people to get to know one another, especially if they're no longer going out to work.
LEO: Yes, doing something together's always more enjoyable, isn't it? Do you think...