Listening 2026-05 Test 3

==================== IELTS Listening Transcript ==================== PART 1 Speaker 0: Section one: You will hear a man telephoning an insurance company. Speaker 0: First, you have some time to look at questions one to seven. Speaker 0: You will see that there is an example that has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first. Speaker 0: Court and Insurance, new claims department. Can I take your name, please? Speaker 1: Yes. It's Andrew Smith. Speaker 0: The man's name is Andrew Smith. So Smith has been written in the space. Speaker 0: Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions one to seven. Speaker 0: Court and Insurance, new claims department. Can I take your name, please? Speaker 1: Yes. It's Andrew Smith. Speaker 0: Hello, Mr. Smith. And do you have the number of your policy, please? Speaker 1: Yeah. WX717435T. Speaker 0: And for security, can you just give me your email address as well? Speaker 1: Yes. It's asmith@fastmail.com. Speaker 0: And your date of birth too, please? Speaker 1: 30th April 1972. Speaker 0: Thank you, Mr. Smith. You're speaking to Monica. How can I help you today? Speaker 1: Well, I want to see if I can make a claim under my household insurance policy. Speaker 0: Have you made any previous claims in the last three years? Speaker 1: Oh, someone did steal my mobile phone, but no. That was four years ago. Okay. But my bike was stolen last year. Speaker 0: And did you claim for that? Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 0: What are you claiming for this time? Speaker 1: It's for my laptop. It's broken. Speaker 0: Okay. Now can you tell me where you bought it? Speaker 1: Compucane. It's just a small shop. Speaker 0: How do you spell that? Speaker 1: C-O-M-P-U-C-A-N. Speaker 0: And have you still got the receipt? Speaker 1: No. I'm afraid not. Speaker 0: What would you say is the present value of the item? Speaker 1: Well, I paid £700 for it two years ago. Speaker 0: So I'll put £560. We take off 10% per year. That's £70 for two years. Okay. Right. So can you describe the damage to the laptop? Speaker 1: Well, I can switch it on and stuff comes up on the screen, but I can't type anything in. So it must be the keyboard that's broken. Speaker 0: Have you tried to get it fixed? Speaker 1: No. But my sister's had a look at it. She knows a lot about computers, and she says it's probably not worth the cost of repairing. Speaker 0: And did you use the laptop for work? Speaker 1: I've actually got a different one for work. This one's just for the family. Speaker 0: Okay. Thank you. Speaker 0: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions eight to ten. Speaker 0: Now listen and answer questions eight to ten. Speaker 0: Now, I need to take some details about the actual incident that caused the damage. Where did the incident happen? Speaker 1: It was during the rush hour. I was going to a friend's house. Speaker 0: Were you traveling by car? Speaker 1: No. I was on a train. I put the laptop down next to me. On the seat, not on the floor. Speaker 0: That's right. So did it fall onto the floor? Speaker 1: Actually, someone was trying to get a box down from the luggage rack and dropped it on the laptop. I thought it would be okay because it was in a laptop case, but it wasn't, unfortunately. Speaker 0: Right. Well, before we do anything else, there's some action that I need to ask you to take. So what you need to do is to get the laptop seen by a recognized dealer. Ask them to make a report telling us whether it can be repaired or if it needs replacing. Speaker 1: Okay. Have you got a list of dealers in my area? Speaker 0: That is the end of section one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. PART 2 Speaker 0: Now turns to part two. Speaker 2: You will hear a talk on New Zealand radio about an art sale which is being held to raise money for charity. Speaker 2: First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 13, on page 10. Speaker 2: Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 13. Speaker 3: One of the most anticipated art events in Christchurch is the charity art sale organised this year by Neil Curtis. Neil, tell us all about it. Speaker 4: Well, Diane, this looks like being the biggest art sale yet. And the best thing about it is that the money raised will all go to charity. So what you probably want to know first is where it is. Well, the pictures will be on view all this week, most of them at the Star Gallery in the shopping mall. But we have so many pictures this year that we're also showing some in the cafe next door. So do drop in and see them any day between nine and five. Now, if you're interested in buying rather than just looking, and we hope a lot of you will be, the actual sale will take place on Thursday evening with sales starting at 7:30. Refreshments will be available before the sale starting at 6:30. We've got about 50 works by local artists showing a huge range of styles and media, and in a minute I'll tell you about some of them. You're probably also interested in what's going to happen to your money once you've handed it over. Well, all proceeds will go to support children who are disabled, both here in New Zealand and also in other countries, so you can find an original painting, support local talent, and help these children all at the same time. Speaker 2: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 14 to 20 on page 11. Speaker 2: Now listen and answer questions 14 to 20. Speaker 4: Now let me tell you a bit about some of the artists who have kindly agreed to donate their pictures to the charity art sale. One of them is Don Studley, who has a special interest in the art sale because his five-year-old daughter was born with a serious back problem. After an operation earlier this year, she's now doing fine, but Don says he wants to offer something to help other less fortunate children. Don is totally self-taught and says he's passionate about painting. His paintings depict some of our New Zealand birds in their natural habitats. One relative newcomer to New Zealand is James Chang, who came here from Taiwan nine years ago at the age of 56. Mr. Chang had 13 exhibitions in Taiwan before he came to live here in Christchurch, so he's a well-established artist, and art has been a lifelong passion for him. His paintings are certainly worth looking at. If you like abstract pictures with strong colour schemes, you'll love them. Natalie Stevens was born in New Zealand, but is exhibited in China, Australia and Spain. As well as being an artist, she's a website designer. She believes art should be universal, and her paintings use soft colours and a mixture of media. Most of her pictures are portraits, so watch out. Some of them may even be friends of yours. And then we have Christine Shin from Korea. Christine only started to learn English two years ago when she arrived in New Zealand, but she's been painting professionally for over ten years, and she sure knows how to communicate strong messages through the universal language of art. She usually works from photographs and paints delicate watercolours, which combine traditional Asian influences with New Zealand landscapes, giving a very special view of our local scenery. Well, that's all I have time to tell you now. But as well as these four, there are many other artists whose work will be on sale, so do come along on Thursday. We accept cheques, credit cards or cash. And remember, even if you don't buy a picture, you can always make a donation. Speaker 0: That is the end of part two. Speaker 2: You now have half a minute to check your answers. PART 3 Speaker 5: Section three. You will hear a discussion between two students called Mark and Fran about their presentation on some dolphins which are unique to New Zealand. Speaker 5: First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 on page five. Speaker 5: Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24. Speaker 6: Hi, Mark. Thanks for coming around. Speaker 7: Hi, Fran. No problem. We need to try and get this presentation finished. Speaker 6: Mark, let's start with the way dolphins make sounds. Speaker 7: Well, we all know that dolphins make clicking noises to communicate. Speaker 6: Yes. They have tongues and larynxes as humans do, but what's really strange about the dolphin is that the sounds are focused through an extraordinary organ called the melon, which most other sea mammals don't have. Speaker 7: So shall I take over from there and speak about the different dolphin types? I want to share what we found out about those rare dolphins that are special just to New Zealand in particular. Speaker 6: Yeah. Great. Put the emphasis on them. The rarest of all is the Hector's dolphin, isn't it? They are endangered, aren't they? I think that's mainly because so many of them get tangled up in fishing gear, especially gill nets, and die. I know that some conservationists are worried about the impact of the tourism industry on dolphin numbers, but I don't think that's a problem yet here. Also, remember that this species has a very long reproductive cycle, so their numbers don't get replenished quickly. Speaker 7: Yeah, that's really sad. But at least the New Zealand government established a sanctuary for them, didn't it? The fishing industry was against it, but I remember reading that the general public were very supportive of the decision. It was a consequence of a study done by some marine biologists. Having a protected breeding area has made a big difference to the dolphin population already. Speaker 6: Yeah. I think their numbers have swelled to over 7,000 in total, with a tiny group of just 89 living down off Southland, nearly 2,000 living near Christchurch on the East Coast, and the biggest group surviving off the West Coast. It's pretty wild country over there, so I guess there aren't as many tourists and fishermen to disturb them. Speaker 5: Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30 on page six. Speaker 5: Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30. Speaker 6: Okay. So how do you suggest I structure my part of the talk? Speaker 7: Well, you could start with the common dolphin, which inhabits the whole of the sea around New Zealand. And once you've covered everything to do with them feeding and so on, you could go on to the more unusual types. The dusky dolphin is especially interesting because you know how all the dolphins travel in small social groups called pods? Well, the dusky dolphins travel in pods as big as 800 members. And I think the duskies like to travel along beside fishing and tourist boats, don't they? Whereas the Hector's dolphins are different in that they prefer to go in the wake of boats, that is coming along in the rear. Speaker 6: Yeah. They do. But they also dive down deep to avoid fast boats. Speaker 7: Oh, let's not forget the Maui because they are endangered too, aren't they? There are only 150 of them left, and they inhabit only the western coastal waters off the North Island of New Zealand. Speaker 6: Yeah. It's a pity. They also face problems because of their tiny size. Now, the orca is actually a dolphin too. Right? Speaker 7: Yes, surprisingly. So I'll include that in my talk. People call them killer whales, but in fact, they're not whales. They're a huge and very fierce type of dolphin. In New Zealand, Kaikoura in the South Island is the best place to spot orcas swimming by, so people mistakenly think that's where they live. But actually, orcas cover vast distances. Speaker 6: Let's not forget to mention the bottlenose. It's bigger than nearly all the other dolphins, even the common dolphin. Speaker 7: Oh, but still not as big as the orca. Right? Speaker 6: That's right. Speaker 7: Well, I think that's our presentation done now. Speaker 5: That is the end of section three. You now have half a minute to check your answers. PART 4 Speaker 8: Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. Speaker 8: Good morning. We're really pleased that our university is going to hold a concert featuring the music of the Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino. He's considered one of the leading composers of modern classical music in Europe. His music is highly unusual. So in order to prepare you for this concert, I'm going to talk about his life and music. First, some biographical details. Salvatore Sciarrino was born in the Italian city of Palermo in 1947. Though he did receive some music lessons, he is mainly self-taught as a composer. After a few years of university in his home city, he moved to Rome in 1969, where he studied electronic music. This experience served as a turning point in the development of Sciarrino as a composer. Turning to his work, he composed a great deal in the nineteen seventies and was a music teacher until 1982. Apart from composing music and teaching, he has also produced a large number of essays on a range of topics, such as the philosophy behind his work and musical form. Throughout his career, he has won numerous prestigious awards, most notably a major prize in 2011, which recognized his musical originality. So you could say that he is one of the most important composers of our times. Now I'll talk about the characteristics of his music, which some people are a bit surprised by. The first thing that many listeners will notice about Sciarrino's music is the frequent use of silence. What is also striking about his music is his preference for extremely soft sounds that are sometimes at such a low volume that they can hardly be heard. The other unusual aspect of his music is that he frequently requires musicians to play their instruments in unconventional ways so that, for example, a violin may end up sounding very strange and creating sounds we generally associate with nature. Actually, his novel instrumental techniques have often been imitated by other composers. As a result, he's widely regarded as a pioneer in terms of creating new sounds. It may sound strange, but Sciarrino himself has likened his music to a volcano viewed from afar. As you'll see, it builds up slowly to an exciting climax. Let's move on to talk about the particular piece that we'll hear at the concert. Many people consider it to be his finest work to date. It's an immense piece of music for piano, chorus, and orchestra that was completed in 1979. The work is dedicated to a friend who died unexpectedly, so it was written as a kind of memorial. In many ways, it is representative of his work as a whole in terms of the sound that it creates. It's technically formidable, and it's a very challenging piece for musicians to play. The piece opens with a low sound of great complexity that is similar to thunder. This low-pitched noise is sustained almost uninterrupted for forty-five minutes, which may sound quite boring, but I found it to be very haunting and atmospheric. The sound, by the way, is created by large vibrating sheets of metal, which are slowly manipulated by two percussionists. There are very quiet and strange chords produced by string instruments and very complex piano melodies that quietly appear and then disappear. Even though the piece will be, for many people, very unusual in terms of the sounds it creates, it actually has a very conventional structure, which is just another surprising aspect of Sciarrino's work. Now let's move on to another work. Speaker 8: That is the end of part four. You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.