Ready for IELTS, Unit 2, Listening

Section 2

Teachers note
- Go through the What to expect in the exam advice with the students.
What to expect in the exam
set (of something) a group of similar things that belong together in some way
a set of six chairs a complete set of her novels
a set of false teeth a new set of rules to learn
paraphrase a statement that expresses something that somebody has written or
said using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand
Answers
A big/not small B not interesting/exciting
exciting adj causing great interest or excitement
one of the most exciting developments in biology in recent years
They waited and waited for something exciting to happen.
an exciting prospect/possibility
C handier
handy adj easy to use or to do
SYNONYM USEFUL a handy little tool
handy hints/tips for removing stains
handy [not before noun] located near to somebody/something; located or stored in
a convenient place
Always keep a first-aid kit handy.
handy (for something/for doing something) (British English) Our house
is very handy for the station
D thrilling/exhilarating
thrilling adj exciting and enjoyable
a thrilling experience/finish
exhilarating adj very exciting and enjoyable
My first parachute jump was an exhilarating experience.
Young people often find danger rather exhilarating.
E well-made/well put together
put sth together to make or prepare something by fitting or collecting parts
together
to put together a model plane/an essay/a meal
I think we can put together a very strong case for the defence.
F trendy/in vogue
trendy adj (informal) very fashionable
trendy clothes
vogue (for something) [countable, usually singular, uncountable] a fashion for
something
the vogue for child-centred education
Black is in vogue again.
Teachers note
- Tell them that the How to go about it section refers to Questions 11-15.
Ensure that they have all grasped the importance of the pre-listening
preparation in the exam.
Remind them that in the exam itself they will hear the recording once.
It is especially important to highlight the point that they should leave a missed
answer, as dwelling on that may cause them to miss the next couple of answers.
Students can always make an intelligent guess once the task is completed.
go about sth to start working on something
SYNONYM TACKLE
You're not going about the job in the right way.
go about doing something How should I go about finding a job?
grasp to understand something completely
grasp something They failed to grasp the importance of his words.
grasp how, why, etc She was unable to grasp how to do it.
grasp that It took him some time to grasp that he was now a public
figure.
dwell on/upon sth to think or talk a lot about something, especially something it
would be better to forget
So you made a mistake, but there's no need to dwell on it.
- Check students underlining in the multiple-choice questions 11-15, and go over
the synonyms suggested for A-F in questions 16-20.
Play Section 2 right through and let them check their answers before listening
for a second time.
Using a different colour, the students should fill in any answers they missed the
first time.
They can then compare their answers in pairs.
Play Section 2 again, pausing at each question so they can hear where the
answer is in the text.
Focus on any questions that were generally problematic for the class as a
whole.
go over sth to examine or check something carefully
Go over your work before you hand it in.
generally adv in most cases
SYNONYM AS A RULE
I generally get up at six.
The male is generally larger with a shorter beak.
- An additional listening activity to build your studentsconfidence before they
listen to the recording is to ask the students to study all the questions and in
groups describe as much information as they can about what they will hear.
After they have done the listening exercise, ask students to listen and read the
script on page 227 for self-study or read the script and locate the answers
before listening again.
How to go abou it
 go about sth to start working on something
SYNONYM TACKLE
You're not going about the job in the right way.
go about doing something How should I go about finding a job?
heading the subject of each section of a speech or piece of writing
The company's aims can be grouped under three main headings.
stem a central part of something from which other parts can develop or grow, or
which forms a support
alternative a thing that you can choose to do or have out of two or more
possibilities
We can agree to their terms or else pull out of the deal completely: those
are the two alternatives.
We had no alternative but to fire Gibson.
paraphrase a statement that expresses something that somebody has written or
said using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand
Questions 11-15
Answers
11 A 12 B
involve to make somebody take part in something
involve somebody (in something/in doing something) We want to i
nvolve as many people as possible in the celebrations.
involve yourself (in something) Parents should involve themselves in their
child's education.
link a relationship between two or more people, countries or organizations
link (with something) to establish trade links with Asia
link (between A and B) Social customs provide a vital link between
generations.
appreciation[ uncountable] pleasure that you have when you recognize and enjoy
the good qualities of somebody/something
She shows little appreciation of good music.
The crowd murmured in appreciation.
13 B
aged adj [not before noun] of the age of
They have two children aged six and nine.
volunteers aged between 25 and 40
14 A
entry [countable] something that you do, write or make to take part in a
competition, for example answering a set of questions
There have been some impressive entries in the wildlife photography
section (= impressive photographs).
The closing date for entries is 31 March.
facilities [plural] buildings, services, equipment, etc. that are provided for a
particular purpose
sports/leisure facilities conference facilities
 shopping/banking/cooking facilities
15 C
exhibit (exhibition)
The new exhibit will tour a dozen US cities next year.
exhibit an object or a work of art put in a public place, for example a museum, so
that people can see it
The museum contains some interesting exhibits on Spanish rural life.
attendance [countable, uncountable] the number of people present at an organized
event
high/low/falling/poor attendances
There was an attendance of 42 at the meeting.
bring sth about to make something happen
SYNONYM CAUSE
What brought about the change in his attitude?
Script
... Radio South here ...Darren Timpson ... packing in the visitors of all ages at
Penwood Museum
pack sb in [no passive] (of plays, performers, etc.) to attract a lot of people to see
it/them
The show is still packing them in.
The band can always pack in the crowds.
... and their installation is on display ...
installation [uncountable, countable] the act of fixing equipment or furniture in
position so that it can be used
installation costs
Installation of the new system will take several days.
on display put in a place where people can look at it
SYNONYM SHOW
Designs for the new sports hall are on display in the library.
to put something on temporary/permanent display
along with sb/sth in addition to somebody/something; in the same way as
somebody/something
She lost her job when the factory closed,
along with hundreds of others.
run something to make a service, course of study, etc. available to people
SYNONYM ORGANIZE
The college runs summer courses for foreign students.
theme the subject or main idea in a talk, piece of writing or work of art
North American literature is the main theme of this year's festival.
The President stressed a favourite campaign themegreater emphasis on
education.
link a relationship between two or more people, countries or organizations
link (with something) to establish trade links with Asia
 link (between A and B) Social customs provide a vital link between
generations.
aged adj [not before noun] of the age of
They have two children aged six and nine.
volunteers aged between 25 and 40
entry [countable] something that you do, write or make to take part in a
competition, for example answering a set of questions
There have been some impressive entries in the wildlife photography
section (= impressive photographs).
The closing date for entries is 31 March.
facilities [plural] buildings, services, equipment, etc. that are provided for a
particular purpose
sports/leisure facilities conference facilities
shopping/banking/cooking facilities
sponsor a person or company that pays for a radio or television programme, or for
a concert or sporting event, usually in return for advertising
The race organizers are trying to attract sponsors.
The first episode of the new programme attracted the number of viewers
that the sponsors had been guaranteed.
... What use is it? They took various exhibits ...
youngster (informal) a young person or a child
The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14.
various adj several different
SYNONYM DIVERSE
Tents come in various shapes and sizes.
She took the job for various reasons.
exhibit an object or a work of art put in a public place, for example a museum, so
that people can see it
The museum contains some interesting exhibits on Spanish rural life.
version a form of something that is slightly different from an earlier form or from
other forms of the same thing
There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one.
the latest version of the software package
the de luxe/luxury version
comment (about/on something) U C something that you say or write which gives
an opinion on or explains somebody/something
Have you any comment to make about the cause of the disaster?
She made helpful comments on my work.
attendance [countable, uncountable] the number of people present at an organized
event
high/low/falling/poor attendances
There was an attendance of 42 at the meeting.
commentary (on something) [countable, uncountable] a spoken description of an
event that is given while it is happening, especially on the radio or television
 a sports commentary
Our reporters will give a running commentary (= a continuous one) on the
election results as they are announced.
moving adj causing you to have deep feelings of sadness or sympathy
a deeply moving experience
a moving story/speech
Questions 16-20
commentary (on something) [countable, uncountable] a spoken description of an
event that is given while it is happening, especially on the radio or television
a sports commentary
Our reporters will give a running commentary (= a continuous one) on the
election results as they are announced.
Answers
16 F
frame something [usually passive] to put or make a frame or border around
something
The photograph had been framed.
Her blonde hair framed her face.
frame [countable] a strong border or structure of wood, metal, etc. that holds a
picture, door, piece of glass, etc. in position
a picture framealuminium window frames
17 A 18 C 19 D 20 E
construct something to form something by putting different things together
SYNONYM put together
You must learn how to construct a logical argument.
to construct a theorya well-constructed novel
Script
... which they thought still fitted in with todays trends
fit in with sth if one activity or event fits in with another, they exist or happen
together in a way that is convenient.
trend a general direction in which a situation is changing or developing
economic/social/political trends
trend (towards something) There is a growing trend towards earlier
retirement.
trend (in something) current trends in language teaching
a downward/an upward trend in sales
... go round to someones house ... as a special treat ...
go round/go round to .../go around/go around to ... to visit somebody or a place
that is near
I went round to the post office.
I'm going around to my sister's (= her house) later.
treat something very pleasant and enjoyable, especially something that you give
somebody or do for them
We took the kids to the zoo as a special treat.
 You've never been to this area before? Then you're in for a real treat.
plasma screen a type of television or computer screen that is larger and thinner
than most screens and produces a very clear image
in running/working order (especially of machines) working well
The engine is now in perfect working order.
as for sb/sth used to start talking about somebody/something
SYNONYM REGARDING
As for Jo, she's doing fine.
As for food for the party, that's all being taken care of.
youngster (informal) a young person or a child
The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14.
And the old people, all of whom used to have one
fit intransitive, transitive] to put or join something in the right place
fit + adv./prep. The glass fits on top of the jug to form a lid.
How do these two parts fit together?
fit something + adv./prep. We fitted together the pieces of the puzzle.
A few more items worth looking at from the display ... The older interviewees nearly
all used ...
cooker (North American English range)(also stove North American
English, British English) a large piece of equipment for cooking food, containing
an oven and gas or electric rings on top
a gas cooker an electric cooker
handy adj easy to use or to do
SYNONYM USEFUL a handy little tool
handy hints/tips for removing stains
handy [not before noun] located near to somebody/something; located or stored in
a convenient place
Always keep a first-aid kit handy.
handy (for something/for doing something) (British English) Our house
is very handy for the station
on display put in a place where people can look at it
SYNONYM SHOW
Designs for the new sports hall are on display in the library.
to put something on temporary/permanent display
slim adj very small
They only have a slim chance of winning (= it's unlikely that they
will win).
cumbersome adj large and heavy; difficult to carry
SYNONYM BULKY cumbersome machinery
thrilling adj exciting and enjoyable
a thrilling experience/finish
... and fairly recent cameras ...
fairly adj (before adjectives and adverbs) to some extent but not very
a fairly easy book a fairly typical reaction