The Underground House - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 09 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–32 One Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 33–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
The Underground House
Design
- Built in the earth, with two floors
- The south-facing side was constructed of two layers of 33
- Photovoltaic tiles were attached
- A layer of foam was used to improve the 34 of the building
Special features
- To increase the light, the building has many internal mirrors and 35
- In future, the house may produce more 36 than it needs
- Recycled wood was used for the 37 of the house
- The system for processing domestic 38 is organic
Environmental issues
- The use of large quantities of 39 in construction was environmentally harmful
- But the house will have paid its 'environmental debt' within 40
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | B | Their chief aim was to create somewhere that was as environmentally-friendly as possible | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says the main goal of the people building the house was to make sure it was very good for the environment. Answer Explanation: The answer means the people who own the house cared about protecting nature and the environment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the transcript explicitly states that the owners' main goal was to build a home that is "environmentally-friendly." Phrases like "recycling the land," using "reclaimed wood," and installing "photovoltaic tiles" to store "energy from the sun" all show their interest in environmental issues. Option A is wrong because they actually grew up in a rural area. Option C is wrong because they managed the project themselves instead of hiring a professional. |
| Q32 | A | The price was relatively low, and they liked the idea of recycling the land, as it were | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the cost to buy the area was not very high, and the owners felt good about using old land that was no longer being used for its original purpose. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the cost of the land where they built the house was not high. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that the price of the land was 'relatively low', which is another way of saying it was quite cheap. While the site was in a beautiful area, it was not 'unspoilt' because the speaker describes the old quarry as an 'ugly blot' on the landscape. Additionally, the stone quarry was 'disused', meaning that stone was no longer being taken from it, so it was not being extracted nearby anymore. |
| Q33 | glass | The north, east and west sides were set in the earth, and only the sloping, south-facing side was exposed to light. That was made of a double layer of very strong glass | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that most sides of the house were buried in the ground. Only the side facing south was open, and it was made with two layers (a double layer) of glass. Answer Explanation: The answer is glass, which is the clear material often used for windows to let light in. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is glass because the speaker describes the south-facing part of the house as being built from a "double layer" of this material. In this context, "double layer" is a synonym for "two layers." |
| Q34 | insulation | And the walls had a layer of foam around them too, to increase the insulation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the builders put a layer of foam on the walls to help the house stay warm by stopping heat from escaping. Answer Explanation: The answer "insulation" refers to the material or method used to keep heat inside a building so it stays warm. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "insulation" because the transcript directly states that the walls had foam around them for the specific purpose of increasing the insulation. In this context, "increase" means the same as "improve." |
| Q35 | windows | Sunlight floods in through the glass wall, and to maximise it there are lots of mirrors and windows inside the house | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that because the house is underground, the owners used many mirrors and windows inside to capture and move as much natural light as possible into all the rooms. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'windows', which are openings in the walls or roof of a building that are typically filled with glass to let in light and air. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is windows because the speaker explains that to make the most of the sunlight entering the building, the interior was designed with many mirrors and windows to help reflect and spread the light everywhere inside. |
| Q36 | electricity | In fact, and it's possible that in future the house may even generate an electricity surplus, and that the owners will be able to sell some to the national grid | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that in the future, the house might make so much power that the people living there can sell the extra amount back to the electricity company. Answer Explanation: The answer means the power that comes from a wall plug to turn on lights and machines. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'electricity' because the speaker explains that the house uses solar tiles to make its own power. The speaker says the house might make a 'surplus,' which is a synonym for 'more than it needs.' This allows the owners to sell the extra power to the city's power system. |
| Q37 | floor / floors | For example, the floors are made of reclaimed wood | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explicitly states that old, reused wood (reclaimed wood) was used to build the walking surfaces (floors) inside the home. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the part of a building that people walk on inside. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identified in the section of the talk discussing recycled materials. The speaker mentions that the owners used reclaimed wood for the floors of the house. In this context, 'reclaimed' is a synonym for 'recycled', matching the description in the notes. |
| Q38 | waste | And then there's the system for dealing with the waste produced in the house. This is dealt with organically – it's purified by being filtered through reed beds which have been planted for that purpose in the garden | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the house has a way to clean the dirty water or trash (waste) in a natural (organic) way by letting it pass through a garden of plants called reed beds. Answer Explanation: The answer 'waste' refers to the dirty materials, garbage, or used water that people create inside a house. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'waste' because the transcript talks about a specific method for handling the house's leftovers. It mentions a 'system for dealing with the waste' and says this is done 'organically' by using plants. In the task, the term 'processing domestic waste' matches the transcript's description of 'dealing with the waste produced in the house'. |
| Q39 | concrete | It's true that the actual construction of the house was harmful to the environment, mainly because they had to use massive amounts of concrete – one of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide in manufacturing | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that building the house hurt the environment because they used a huge amount of concrete, which creates a lot of pollution when it is made. Answer Explanation: The answer is concrete, which is a hard building material made by mixing sand, small stones, cement, and water. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is concrete because the transcript states that the building process was bad for the environment due to the use of 'massive amounts' of this material. The speaker explains that making concrete creates a lot of carbon dioxide, which causes damage to the planet. The phrase 'massive amounts' in the talk matches the phrase 'large quantities' in the notes. |
| Q40 | 15 years | However, once the initial 'debt' has been cleared – and it's been calculated that this will only take fifteen years – this underground house won't cost anything – environmentally I mean – because unlike ordinary houses, it is run in a way that is completely environmentally friendly | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that it will take exactly fifteen years to fix the damage caused by building the house. After those years pass, the house is completely good for the environment. Answer Explanation: The answer 15 years is the amount of time it will take for the house to finish making up for the damage caused during its construction. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 15 years because the speaker explains that even though building the house was bad for nature at first, it will eventually balance out. The house used a lot of concrete, which created pollution. However, since the house is very green and clean now that it is finished, it will fix its 'environmental debt' in fifteen years. After this time, the house will no longer have a negative effect on the earth. |
Transcript
Good morning. In the last few lectures I've been talking about the history of domestic building construction. But today I want to begin looking at some contemporary, experimental designs for housing. So, I'm going to start with a house which is constructed more or less under the ground. And one of the interesting things about this project is that the owners – both professionals but not architects – wanted to be closely involved, so they decided to manage the project themselves. Their chief aim was to create somewhere that was as environmentally-friendly as possible. But at the same time they wanted to live somewhere peaceful – they'd both grown up in a rural area and disliked urban life.
So the first thing they did was to look for a site. And they found a disused stone quarry in a beautiful area. The price was relatively low, and they liked the idea of recycling the land, as it were. As it was, the quarry was an ugly blot on the landscape, and it wasn't productive any longer, either.
They consulted various architects and looked at a number of designs before finally deciding on one. As I've said, it was a design for a sort of underground house, and it was built into the earth itself, with two storeys. The north, east and west sides were set in the earth, and only the sloping, south-facing side was exposed to light. That was made of a double layer of very strong glass. There were also photovoltaic tiles fixed to the top and bottom of this sloping wall. These are tiles that are designed to store energy from the sun. And the walls had a layer of foam around them too, to increase the insulation.
Now, what is of interest to us about this project is the features which make the building energy-efficient. Sunlight floods in through the glass wall, and to maximise it there are lots of mirrors and windows inside the house. That helps to spread the light around. So that's the first thing – light is utilised as fully as possible.
In addition, the special tiles on the outside convert energy from the sun and generate some of the house's electricity. In fact, and it's possible that in future the house may even generate an electricity surplus, and that the owners will be able to sell some to the national grid.
As well as that, wherever possible, recycled materials have been used. For example, the floors are made of reclaimed wood. And the owners haven't bought a single item of new furniture – they just kept what they already had. And then there's the system for dealing with the waste produced in the house. This is dealt with organically – it's purified by being filtered through reed beds which have been planted for that purpose in the garden. So the occupants of the house won't pollute the land or use any damaging chemicals.
It's true that the actual construction of the house was harmful to the environment, mainly because they had to use massive amounts of concrete – one of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide in manufacturing. And, as you know, this is very damaging to the environment. In total, the house construction has released 70 tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Now that's a frightening thought. However, once the initial 'debt' has been cleared – and it's been calculated that this will only take fifteen years – this underground house won't cost anything – environmentally I mean – because unlike ordinary houses, it is run in a way that is completely environmentally friendly.
So, eco-housing like this is likely to become much more ...