Stay Safe During a Heatwave - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Collins Practice Tests For IELTS 3 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
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Questions
Questions 11–20 Note Completion
Complete the leaflet below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Stay Safe During a Heatwave
- In the daytime try to limit the amount of 11 in rooms.
- At night, when the temperature is cooler, keep windows open.
- Are you using air conditioning? Pay attention to your 12
- Spray cold water on your face or take a 13
- Your wrists and the back of your neck are your body's 14 Place a cold cloth on these areas.
- Eat a healthy diet to replace the nutrients you lose through 15
- Drink plenty of water!
- Try to stay at home between 11 a.m. and 16 as this is the hottest part of the day.
- If you go out in the sun, wear a hat or use an 17
- Wear loose-fitting clothes made from 18
- Take it easy when doing any 19
- Remember your neighbours, especially if they are elderly or have 20
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | direct sunlight | During the day, do what you can to keep direct sunlight out of rooms | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript tells people to stop the sun from shining directly into their rooms while it is daytime to stay cool. Answer Explanation: The answer is light that comes straight from the sun into a room. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the part of the talk about staying cool inside your home. The speaker mentions that you should stop the sun's rays from entering your rooms during the day. This helps keep the house from getting too hot. |
| Q12 | energy usage | If you're one of the lucky people to have air conditioning in your home, you'll certainly appreciate being able to sit in a cool room but it's important to keep an eye on your energy usage | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that if you have a machine that makes the air cool in your house, you should watch how much power it consumes. Answer Explanation: The answer means the amount of electricity or power that you use while running your cooling system. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "energy usage" because the speaker advises people with air conditioning to "keep an eye on" it. Exercises like this often use synonyms, and the phrase "keep an eye on" means the same thing as "pay attention to" from the leaflet text. |
| Q13 | cool shower | And treat yourself to a cool shower every so often | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that you should have a shower with cold water every now and then to help handle the heat. Answer Explanation: The answer 'cool shower' means washing your body with water that is not hot to help you feel refreshed and less hot. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because the speaker provides several methods to lower your body temperature while indoors. Along with using a spray bottle with cold water, the speaker suggests taking a 'cool shower' as a way to stay comfortable. Keywords in the text like 'spray cold water' and 'cool down' relate directly to the instructions in the leaflet. |
| Q14 | cooling points | Remember where your body's cooling points are, namely your wrists and the back of your neck | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript identifies the wrists and the back of the neck as the specific locations known as the body's cooling points. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to specific areas on your body that help you cool down more quickly when something cold is placed on them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identified directly from the transcript where the speaker talks about staying cool. The speaker mentions that the wrists and the back of the neck are keys to lowering body heat. Highlighting these spots, the speaker calls them "cooling points" and suggests placing cold cloths there. |
| Q15 | sweating | It's really important to eat healthily in order to replace the vitamins and minerals you'll lose through sweating | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that eating healthy food is a way to put back the good things (vitamins and minerals) that your body loses when you sweat. Answer Explanation: The answer is sweating, which is the process of your body becoming wet with moisture because you are too hot. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is sweating because the speaker explains that a healthy diet is necessary to get back the vitamins and minerals (nutrients) that leave the body when a person sweats. In English, losing vitamins and minerals through sweating is a common way to describe the effect of extreme heat on the body. |
| Q16 | 3 p.m. / 3 pm | Avoid going out between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when temperatures are at their highest | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript tells people not to go outside between 11:00 and 3:00 because that is when the weather is the hottest. Answer Explanation: The answer means you should stay inside your home from 11:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the speaker's advice to stay indoors when the heat is most intense. The speaker mentions that the highest temperatures occur during this specific time window, so it is safer to stay home then. The phrases 'temperatures are at their highest' and 'hottest part of the day' carry the same meaning. |
| Q17 | umbrella | You could even take an umbrella with you to give you some protection | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that an umbrella is a helpful tool that people can use to protect themselves from the sun when they are walking outside during a heatwave. Answer Explanation: The answer means you can carry an umbrella when you go outside to shield yourself from the hot sun. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "umbrella" because the speaker suggests several ways to stay safe when you must leave the house in high temperatures. They recommend staying in the shade, wearing a hat, and specifically suggest taking an umbrella as another way to get protection from the sun. |
| Q18 | cotton or linen | Wear loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes. Anything made with cotton or linen is particularly suitable for hot weather | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that clothes which are not tight and are made of cotton or linen are the best choices for keeping cool when the temperature is high. Answer Explanation: The answer mentions two types of soft materials, cotton and linen, used to make clothes that are good to wear when it is hot. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'cotton or linen' because the speaker advises wearing loose, light clothes during a heatwave and specifically identifies these two materials as being very good for hot weather. |
| Q19 | physical exercise | If you like to get some physical exercise on a daily basis and insist on going out for your daily run or whatever your favourite activity is, you should be prepared to reduce the effort you'd normally put into it | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if you usually exercise every day, you should use less energy and be less intense during your workout when it is extremely hot outside. Answer Explanation: The answer "physical exercise" refers to body activities like running or playing sports that people do to stay healthy and strong. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is physical exercise because the speaker mentions that if you want to continue your regular workout routine during a heatwave, you must "reduce the effort." This means you should not push yourself as hard as usual, or in other words, you should "take it easy" while exercising. |
| Q20 | health issues | And remember to check on your neighbour if they happen to be old or have health issues | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript tells us to check if our neighbors are okay, particularly if they are elderly or have existing medical problems. Answer Explanation: The answer 'health issues' means medical conditions or problems with a person's body that can make them feel more sick when it is very hot. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the speaker's advice to look after people living nearby. The speaker says to check on neighbors who are old or those who have medical problems because they might need help during a heatwave. Keywords like 'neighbour' and 'old' point to this part of the talk. |
Transcript
Speaker: Thanks for giving me the chance to come along today to talk to you about the steps you can take to alleviate the ill effects of living through a heatwave. We certainly seem to have experienced a lot more of these recently, and with climate change an ongoing issue, things aren't likely to change in the near future. Extreme heat can be very uncomfortable for the fit and healthy and it can be quite dangerous for the more vulnerable. So, I'd like to give you some tips on how to remain as comfortable as possible during these challenging periods.
OK, let's start by looking at what you can do inside the house. During the day, do what you can to keep direct sunlight out of rooms. If you have curtains or blinds, pull them shut. Having dark heavy curtains doesn't really help much in a heatwave as the material will trap the heat and transmit it into the room, so consider investing in lighter colours that don't absorb as much heat. And on the subject of windows, if it's safe to do so, keep windows open at night as this will allow the cooler air to circulate around the rooms. If you're one of the lucky people to have air conditioning in your home, you'll certainly appreciate being able to sit in a cool room but it's important to keep an eye on your energy usage. A simple alternative for those without air conditioning is to use a fan and place a bowl of ice in front of it. Buy yourself a little spray bottle, you know, one of those cheap plastic bottles we use to spray water on plants in the garden, and spray cold water on your face. And treat yourself to a cool shower every so often. A packet of face wipes can also serve a similar purpose and help you cool down. Remember where your body's cooling points are, namely your wrists and the back of your neck. Put some cloths in the freezer and place them on these areas when you're feeling particularly hot.
Even if you do all of these things, you're still likely to be affected by the very high temperatures, and there are other things you should bear in mind. Pay close attention to your diet as this will help you to deal with the heat. It's really important to eat healthily in order to replace the vitamins and minerals you'll lose through sweating. Remember to drink lots of water, at least two litres a day. It's easy to forget to do this so keep a bottle of water by your side. But avoid drinking too much coffee as this can have the opposite effect and dehydrate you.
It's sometimes very tempting to pop outside and enjoy the sunny weather but during a heatwave it's best to leave the house only when necessary. Avoid going out between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when temperatures are at their highest. Try to stay in the shade when you're walking around and wear a hat with a wide brim to keep the sun off your face. You could even take an umbrella with you to give you some protection. Wear loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes. Anything made with cotton or linen is particularly suitable for hot weather. Of course, it's essential that you put lots of sun cream on whenever you go out. If you like to get some physical exercise on a daily basis and insist on going out for your daily run or whatever your favourite activity is, you should be prepared to reduce the effort you'd normally put into it. And remember to stay hydrated.
Finally, it's really important to consider how others might be affected by extreme heat. Certainly, don't leave your pets in a car with the windows closed. And remember to check on your neighbour if they happen to be old or have health issues. The elderly are particularly affected during a heatwave and will definitely benefit from you keeping an eye on their well-being. Just knock on their door each day to see if they're all right. And if they can't get out, why not help them out with some shopping?