Collins Practice Tests For IELTS 1 Academic Listening Test 3 (Online Test)

Presenter: Welcome back to B.U.R.S., your independent student union radio station. We're looking at some of the incredible feats one or two of you have been up to during your summer break. I'm with Katherine who's going to tell us about her successful climb of one of the most iconic mountains in the world - Mont Blanc. Katherine, tell us a little about your achievement.

Katherine: Well, actually it was the second time I've reached the summit - the first was in 2007, the year before I came to university. People are often surprised to hear how popular the mountain is with climbers - I've read somewhere over 30,000 people attempt the climb each year and around 200 people a day summit during the summer season so it's very crowded up there. Unfortunately it's also potentially very dangerous. In July 2007, the month before I did my first climb, the death toll reached 30, mainly due to bad weather conditions. The sheer number of people can cause falling rocks, which only adds to the danger.

Presenter: So why did you do the same climb twice? And was it easier the second time around?

Katherine: In many ways they were totally different experiences. The first time I went as part of an organised group. There were about 20 of us and we took four days to summit. It was much more of a sociable experience compared to the second climb. This year I decided to go solo with just one overnight stop. I felt more confident having already summited once and I wanted to face the challenge of being in control. Actually, you're never really alone - there are other climbers and groups around all the time but I suppose being alone made me feel more intrepid. The first climb was quite difficult as the weather was very changeable and we found ourselves climbing in very cold, windy conditions. We were in a group so we offered each other encouragement but it was still very difficult. The weather this time was wonderful. Plus I also spent a few days beforehand in Chamonix and acclimatised myself more to the altitude - this certainly made it easier. You can achieve the same thing by climbing some of the smaller peaks in the area first but I wanted a more leisurely start. It was fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Presenter: Did your experiences on the first climb help you the second time around? I'm wondering if you have any useful advice for others planning on doing something similar.

Katherine: Well, because the climb's becoming so popular I think people don't always give it the respect it deserves. And I'm not talking here about the physical condition you need to be in to take on a challenge like this or having the right equipment. That goes without saying. I think what took me by surprise more than anything else was the extreme weather conditions, even in the summer. For those who want to summit in a single day or two the climb will often start early in the morning so you'll need to make sure you're wearing enough layers to protect yourself from the cold and wind. You'll be glad of this when you hit queues and find yourself standing around waiting to move on. Then at the other extreme around midday you must make sure you're fully protected from the sun or you're likely to get very badly burnt. Whether you climb alone, in a group or a with a guide, that will depend on your own experience but however you decide to go it's essential that you take your time and get used to the altitude.

Presenter: Okay, many thanks for taking the time to come in and tell us all about it!

Adam: Elaine. Have you seen the exam timetable? They've just put it up on the department noticeboard.

Elaine: Yeah, I've just come from there. I must be honest, I'd put the thought of exams to the back of my mind. Now the dates are there it all seems a little scary. Have you been revising much?

Adam: No, not really. We've got a month so I'm going to really get going on it now. Why don't we try and work together?

Elaine: Yes, let's meet a few times a week. I don't like working on my own; I never seem to be able to focus properly. What about Tuesday and Thursday? Oh no ... I have a late seminar on Tuesday. Monday and Thursday? What about that?

Adam: Yes, that'll be okay. How do you go about revising? Have you got any tips?

Elaine: Well, our tutor said we shouldn't start background reading or writing notes until we're clear in our mind what we need to revise. He said start with a revision timetable so we know what to revise and when.

Adam: That sounds sensible. Then we can use the timetable to work independently ... It'll help us to make sure we're both working on the same subjects ... We can make that the first thing to do in our first session - write up a timetable.

Elaine: Okay. I reckon the kinds of things we can do on our own in between meetings are things like arranging our materials - lecture and seminars notes, handouts, feedback from our tutors, that kind of thing. If we arrange all these by subject, according to the timetable, it will help us get organised.

Adam: Good idea. Once we have all the content I suppose we could make notes based on past exam papers. We had a talk about note taking in one of the seminars. They reckon you shouldn't copy word for word. It helps to learn things if you paraphrase main points. And don't just copy loads of facts either ... try to get a feel for the main arguments or theories and match any facts to these.

Elaine: I also like using mind maps or spidergrams when I make notes. It means you can put down a lot of information but so that it's nicely organised. It also means you can add new notes after. And bullet points ... they really help you focus on main points rather than trying to link them together in sentences.

Adam: We also need to remember to make a note of where the information comes from - the author, publisher that kind of thing.

Elaine: That's really important ... otherwise when you're writing the assignment you can never remember where you got a particular quote from.

Adam: I know I said earlier about testing each other when we get together but, now I think about it, do you think it would be a better idea to talk through our notes on a particular subject, have a kind of discussion between ourselves? We could use the questions in the past papers to base the discussion on.

Elaine: Yes, so basically the timetable can be a discussion schedule. Then after each session we could go away and do a timed essay on the subject ... maybe swap and mark each other's essays. That's a good way to learn, I think; critique each other's work.

Adam: Great idea. So we'll start next Monday with the timetable ...

Tutor: Okay everyone. This week it's the turn of Carol to talk about the progress of her research project. Over to you Carol.

Carol: Thanks. Yes, hello everybody. I'm going to talk about something called 'shared space' and the research I'm in the process of carrying out into people's attitudes to this as it might affect them in their local community.

First I'd best explain what shared space is. In essence, shared space is an approach to urban design that attempts to open up main street junctions more to pedestrians by reducing the dominance of motor vehicles. It's a form of planning associated with a Dutch road traffic engineer called Hans Monderman, who believed that by sharing the space available drivers become more aware of pedestrians and drive more carefully. Pedestrians are able to move more freely in this shared space and the number of accidents is reduced.

Shared space design is usually employed in urban centres where pedestrians congregate, such as in shopping areas. It usually results in demarcations between vehicle traffic and pedestrians being reduced or removed altogether. This includes features like kerbs, road surface markings and traffic signs. There are many examples of shared space in operation abroad and in the UK, for example in Kensington High Street in London and Giles Circus in Ipswich.

In addition to a decline in accidents, those in favour of shared space also claim additional benefits such as a reduction in unsightly street furniture like signs and metal guard rails, which can be replaced with more trees, planters, seating areas, and other aesthetic improvements determined by local people. With these urban centres easier to get around in, supporters claim that people are more inclined to shop there and as a consequence the centre can become a more thriving area for local people and businesses. Here are some before-and-after photographs of shared space developments to give you an idea of what it looks like ...

Despite all its advantages, shared space is opposed by various interest groups. Some motorist organisations claim that the system means drivers lose important information through the reduction of signage. Those representing blind people argue that removing features such as kerbs, railings and barriers between pavements and roads takes away familiar support and means this group of people cannot negotiate their way as easily as other road users. Cyclist representatives have also criticised some aspects of the scheme arguing that despite benefits some cyclists feel more bullied by motorists and consequently less safe. Supporters of shared space themselves also point out that a lack of experience and understanding of shared space by planners can lead to negative experiences for all these groups.

To carry out my research I approached a local campaigning group in my area who are interested in adopting shared space in our local shopping centre. I discovered that they were very keen to get feedback from local residents on shared space and because of the experience I'd gained in research methods they were keen for me to construct a questionnaire for them. The focus group have a website and an active social media presence and they decided that the questionnaire will be available as an online survey. Hard-copy questionnaires will also be used for face-to-face interviews. There were plans to leave paper questionnaires in the local library but this is still under discussion. Interviews using the questionnaires will be carried out with pedestrians in the area itself. The group don't have the resources to deliver additional questionnaires to the homes of local residents so this option was dropped.

We have met on several occasions to agree on the data the focus group need. I've pointed out that, if they want valid results, the questions must be totally unbiased and not in any way loaded to encourage participants to give the 'preferred' answer. Also we mustn't assume that participants have sufficient information to answer these questions. We're currently looking into how we can best present the concept of shared space during interviews.

I've designed some of the questionnaire and I'd just like to spend a few minutes going through it with you. I'd be grateful for any feedback you have ...