Sharks In Australia - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 04 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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Questions
Questions 31–34 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Sharks in Australia
Length: largest caught: 16 metres
Weight: heaviest: 31 kg
Skeleton: cartilage
Skin texture: rough barbs
Swimming aids: fins and 32
Food: gathered from the ocean 33
sharks locate food by using their 34
Questions 35–38 One Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 39–40 Two Choices
Choose TWO letters A-G.
Which TWO factors reduce the benefits of shark nets?
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | 795 | but the heaviest shark caught in Australia was a White Pointer — that weighed seven hundred and ninety-five kilograms — quite a size | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the heaviest shark found in Australia had a weight of seven hundred and ninety-five (795) kilograms. Answer Explanation: The answer 795 is the weight in kilograms of the heaviest shark caught in Australia. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from the section of the talk discussing the physical characteristics of sharks in Australia. The speaker explicitly mentions that the heaviest shark ever caught there was a White Pointer weighing seven hundred and ninety-five kilograms. In the notes, since 'kg' is already provided as a unit, only the number '795' is required. |
| Q32 | tail | This is made possible by their fins, one set at the side and another set underneath the body, and the tail also helps the shark move forward quickly | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that sharks are fast swimmers because of their fins and their tail, which pushes them forward in the water. Answer Explanation: The answer is the part of the shark's body located at the very back, which it uses to push through the water. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'tail' because the transcript discusses how sharks are able to swim so fast. It identifies two main body parts that assist with movement: the fins and the tail. Specifically, it states that the tail helps the shark move forward quickly, making it a 'swimming aid'. |
| Q33 | floor / bed / bottom | Mostly, they swim at the bottom of the ocean, scavenging and picking up food that's lying on the ocean floor | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that sharks usually stay at the deepest part of the water. They find things to eat that are resting on the ground at the bottom of the sea. Answer Explanation: The answer is the lowest part of the ocean, often called the ocean floor, the sea bed, or the bottom. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the talk describing where sharks find their food. The speaker mentions that sharks usually swim at the very bottom of the sea. They find and eat food that is sitting on the ground underwater, which is called the 'ocean floor'. The words 'floor', 'bed', or 'bottom' all refer to this same place. |
| Q34 | sense of smell | sharks hunt essentially by smell. They have a very acute sense of smell - and can sense the presence of food long before they can see it | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that sharks find things to eat by using their sense of smell. This sense is very strong, so they know food is nearby even when it is too far away to see. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the shark's ability to find food by smelling it in the water. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the part of the talk explaining how sharks find what they want to eat. The speaker explains that while most animals use their eyes to see their food, sharks 'hunt' (search for food) mostly by using their 'smell'. They have an 'acute' (very sharp or strong) sense that helps them find food even if they are far away and cannot see it yet. |
| Q35 | A | Beach-netting, or meshing, involves setting large nets parallel to the shore | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when people use nets to catch sharks, they place these big nets in the water so that they run side-by-side with the beach. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the nets are put in the water in a way that they follow the same direction as the edge of the land. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the transcript says the nets are set 'parallel to the shore.' In English, 'parallel' means two lines that stay the same distance apart and go in the same direction. Therefore, placing nets parallel to the shore is the same as placing them 'along' the coastline. It indicates the nets do not point out toward the deep sea or sit at a slanted angle. |
| Q36 | A | The New Zealand authorities also looked at it, but considered meshing uneconomical - as did Tahiti in the Pacific. At around the same time, South Africa introduced meshing to some of its most popular swimming beaches | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that officials in New Zealand and Tahiti decided against using shark nets because of the cost, but South Africa began using them at beaches where many people go to swim. Answer Explanation: The answer means that South Africa is one of the countries that decided to use nets in the water to keep sharks away from people swimming at the beach. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is South Africa because the transcript mentions that while New Zealand and Tahiti thought about using shark nets, they decided it was 'uneconomical,' which means it was too expensive and not worth the money. However, South Africa is specifically mentioned as a place that 'introduced' or started using the nets at its busy beaches around the same time as Queensland. |
| Q37 | B | However, this declined in the years that followed, and since that time, the average annual catch has been only about a hundred and fifty a year | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that after the first year, the number of sharks caught went down. It says that for a long time now, the typical amount caught every year is around 150. Answer Explanation: The answer means that usually, about 150 sharks are caught in the nets every year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker gives specific numbers for the sharks caught in the nets. While fifteen hundred (1,500) sharks were caught when the program first started, the speaker says this number dropped over time. The 'average' (the normal or usual amount) is now 'a hundred and fifty' (150) each year. |
| Q38 | B | The majority of sharks are caught during the warmest months, from November to February, when sharks are most active and when both the air and the ocean are at their maximum temperature | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that most sharks are caught when the air and water are at their highest temperatures, which happens between November and February. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that the largest number of sharks are caught during the summer season. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is summer because the transcript says the most sharks are caught from November to February. In the Southern Hemisphere (like Australia), these are the hottest months, which make up the summer season. The text uses the phrase "the majority of sharks are caught" to show that this is when the most are found. Key words to look for are "majority," "warmest months," and the months "November to February." |
| Q39 | — | — | |
| Q40 | B / E | But meshing does appear to be less effective than some other methods, especially when there are big seas with high rolling waves and strong currents and anything that lets the sand move - the sand that's holding the nets down. When this moves the nets will also become less effective | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that nets are not the best method when the sea is rough with large waves and strong water flow. It also explains that the nets are held down by sand, so if the sand moves, the nets will not work properly. Answer Explanation: The answer explains that two things make shark nets less useful: powerful water movements (like big waves and currents) and the sand on the ocean floor moving away from the nets. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found at the end of the talk, where the speaker lists problems that make nets 'less effective' (meaning they do not work as well). The speaker mentions 'high rolling waves and strong currents' (Choice B) and 'anything that lets the sand move' (Choice E). These environmental factors interfere with how the nets stay in place or catch sharks. |
Transcript
Today we're going to look at one of my favourite fish - the shark. As you know, sharks have a reputation for being very dangerous creatures capable of injuring or killing humans, and I'd like to talk about sharks in Australia.
Sharks are rather large fish, often growing to over ten metres and the longest sharks caught in Australia have reached sixteen metres. Sharks vary in weight with size and breed, of course, but the heaviest shark caught in Australia was a White Pointer - that weighed seven hundred and ninety-five kilograms - quite a size! Sharks have a different structure to most fish: instead of a skeleton made of bone, they have a tough elastic skeleton of cartilage. Unlike bone, this firm, pliable material is rather like your nose, and allows the shark to bend easily as it swims. The shark's skin isn't covered with scales, like other fish: instead the skin's covered with barbs, giving it a rough texture like sandpaper. As you know, sharks are very quick swimmers. This is made possible by their fins, one set at the side and another set underneath the body, and the tail also helps the shark move forward quickly.
Unlike other fish, sharks have to keep swimming if they want to stay at a particular depth, and they rarely swim at the surface. Mostly, they swim at the bottom of the ocean, scavenging and picking up food that's lying on the ocean floor. While most other animals, including fish, hunt their prey by means of their eyesight, sharks hunt essentially by smell. They have a very acute sense of smell - and can sense the presence of food long before they can see it.
In Australia, where people spend a lot of time at the beach, the government has realised that it must prevent sharks from swimming near its beaches. As a result, they've introduced a beach-netting program. Beach-netting, or meshing, involves setting large nets parallel to the shore; this means that the nets on New South Wales beaches are set on one day, and then lifted and taken out to sea on the next day. When shark-netting first began in 1939, only the Sydney metropolitan beaches were meshed - these beaches were chosen because beaches near the city are usually the most crowded with swimmers. Ten years later, in 1949, systematic meshing was extended to include the beaches to the south of Sydney. As a result of the general success of the program in Sydney, shark-meshing was introduced to the state of Queensland around 1970. The New Zealand authorities also looked at it, but considered meshing uneconomical - as did Tahiti in the Pacific. At around the same time, South Africa introduced meshing to some of its most popular swimming beaches.
When meshing began, approximately fifteen hundred sharks were caught in the first year. However, this declined in the years that followed, and since that time, the average annual catch has been only about a hundred and fifty a year. The majority of sharks are caught during the warmest months, from November to February, when sharks are most active and when both the air and the ocean are at their maximum temperature.
Despite quite large catches, some people believe that shark meshing is not the best way to catch sharks. It's not that they think sharks are afraid of nets, or because they eat holes in them, because neither of these is true. But meshing does appear to be less effective than some other methods, especially when there are big seas with high rolling waves and strong currents and anything that lets the sand move - the sand that's holding the nets down. When this moves the nets will also become less effective.