How to improve listening skills

Ways which candidates can improve listening skills in IELTS.

Why ielts learners should find the best ways to improve listening skills.

For the IELTS candidates, the Cambridge IELTS book series is always mentioned as a “legend“. The features of this book series is that the format and difficulty are always updated according to the real exams. Therefore, the exam preparation, Cambridge IELTS is a “MUST HAVE” document.

How should students do to improve band scores?

It’s called Cambridge Dictation, Here is Full Audio IELTS Cambridge 17, you can also copy dictation to improve your Listening skills. Wish you all are the best!

Cambridge 17. Test 1 – Section 2.

You will hear a tour guide Lou Miller, speaking to a group of people about a boat trip they are going to take around the Australian island of Tasmania..

So, hello everyone. My name’s Lou Miller and I’m going to be your tour guide today as we take (1) ……………… around the Tasmanian coast. Before we set off, I just want to tell you a few things about our journey. Our boats aren’t huge as you can see. We already have three staff members on board and on top of that, we can transport a further fifteen people – that’s you – (2) ………….. But please note if there are more than nine people on either side of the boat, we’ll move some of you over, otherwise all eighteen of us will (3) ………….!We’ve recently upgraded all our boats.

They used to be jet black, but our new ones now have these comfortable dark red seats and a light-green exterior in order to stand out from others and (4) ………………. This gives our boats (5) ……, don’t you think? We offer you a free lunchbox during the trip and we have three types. Lunchbox 1 contains ham and tomato sandwiches. Lunchbox 2 contains a cheddar cheese roll and Lunchbox 3 is salad-based and also contains eggs and tuna. All three lunchboxes also have a packet of crisps and chocolate bar inside. Please let staff know which lunchbox you prefer. I’m sure I don’t have to ask you not to (6) ……………… We don’t have any bins to put litter in, but Jess, myself or Ray, our other guide, will collect it from you after lunch and put it all in (7) ………………

The engine on the boat makes quite a lot of noise so before we head off, let me tell you a few things about what you’re going to see. This area is famous for (8) ……………………………………., which you’ll see from the boat as we turn past the first little island. It was built in 1838 to protect sailors as a number of shipwrecks had led to (9) ………………………………….. The construction itself was complicated as some of the original drawings kept by the local council show. It sits right on top of the cliffs in a very isolated spot.

In the nineteenth century there were many jobs there, such as polishing the brass lamps, chopping firewood and cleaning windows, that kept lighthouse keepers busy. These workers were mainly prison convicts until the middle of that century when ordinary families willing to (10) ………………. took over. Some of you have asked me what creatures we can expect to see. I know everyone loves the penguins, but they’re very shy and, unfortunately, tend to (11) …………………………………………, but you might see birds in the distance, such as sea eagles, flying around the cliff edges where they nest.

When we get to the rocky area inhabited by fur seals, we’ll stop and watch them (12)…………………. …………….. They’re (13) ……….. so don’t be surprised if one pops up right in front of you. Their predators, orca whales, hunt along the coastline too, but spotting one of these is rare. Dolphins, on the other hand, can sometimes (14) ……………………………….. or in groups as they ride the waves beside us.

Lastly, I want to mention the caves. Tasmania is famous for its caves and the ones we’ll pass by are so amazing that people are (15) ……………………………….. when they see them. They can only be approached by sea, but if you feel that you want to see more than we’re able to show you, then you can take a kayak into the area on another day and one of our staff will give you more information on that. What we’ll do is to (16) ………………….., past some (17) ………………. and from there we’ll be able to see (18) ……………….., and at that point we’ll talk to you about what lies beyond.

Answer keys:

Cambridge 17, Test 1 – Section 3.

You will hear two veterinary science students called Diana and Tim discussing their work placements and their course modules.

ANSWER KEY

Section 4: You will hear an anthropology student giving a presentation on spiral path designs known as labyrinths.

Labyrinths have existed for well over 4,000 years. Labyrinths and labyrinthine symbols have been found in regions as diverse as modern-day Turkey, Ireland, Greece, and India.

There are (1) ……….. but what they all have in common is a (2) ……… which leads to a central area. There is one starting point at the entrance and the goal is to (3) ……………. Finding your way through a labyrinth involves many twists and turns, but it’s not possible to get lost as there is (4) ……….

In modern times, the word labyrinth has (5) ….. and is often used as a synonym for a maze. A maze is quite different as it is a kind of puzzle with (6) ………………… Mazes became fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, and can still be found in the gardens of (7) ………………. The paths are usually surrounded by thick, high hedges so that it’s not possible to see over them. Entering a maze usually involves (8) …………….. before using logic to work out the pattern and find your way to the centre and then out again. There are lots of dead ends and paths which lead you back to where you started. The word ‘maze’ is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for (9) ………. This is where the word ‘amazing’ comes from. Labyrinths, on the other hand, have (10) …… Although people now often refer to things they find complicated as labyrinths, this is not how they were seen in the past. The winding spiral of the labyrinth has been used for centuries as (11) ….. It served as a spiritual reminder that there is purpose and meaning to our lives and helped to give people (12) ….. Labyrinths are thought to encourage (13) ……. and have been used as a meditation and prayer tool in many cultures over many centuries.

The earliest examples of the labyrinth spiral pattern have been found carved into stone, from Sardinia to Scandinavia, from Arizona to India to Africa. In Europe, these spiral carvings date from the late Bronze Age. The Native American Pima tribe wove baskets with (14) ……… that depicted their own cosmology. In Ancient Greece, the labyrinth spiral was used on coins around four thousand years ago. Labyrinths (15) ………………. were commonly found in bathhouses, villas and tombs throughout the Roman Empire. In Northern Europe, there were actual physical labyrinths designed for walking on.

These were cut into the turf or grass, usually in (16) …………. The origin of these walking labyrinths remains unclear, but they were probably used for fertility rites which may date back thousands of years. Eleven examples of turf labyrinths survive today, including the largest one at Saffron Walden, England, which used to have (17) ………… in the middle of it.

More recently labyrinths have (18) ………………. Some believe that walking a labyrinth (19) ………., and there are those who believe in its (20) ………, which include slower breathing and a restored sense of (21) ……… This idea has become so popular that labyrinths have been laid into the floors of spas, wellness centres and even prisons in recent years.

A pamphlet at Colorado Children’s Hospital informs patients that ‘walking a labyrinth can often calm people in the midst of a crisis’. And apparently, it’s not only patients who benefit. Many visitors find walking a labyrinth less stressful than sitting in (22) ……….. Some doctors even walk the labyrinth during their breaks. In some hospitals, patients who can’t walk can have a paper ‘finger labyrinth’ brought to their bed. The science behind the theory is (23) ., but    there are dozens of     (24) …………. which support claims about the benefits of labyrinths. For example, one study found that walking a labyrinth provided ‘short-term calming, relaxation, and relief from anxiety’ for Alzheimer’s patients.

So, what is it about labyrinths that makes their appeal so universal? Well …

ANSWER KEY

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