Listening 2026-01 Test 2

==================== IELTS Listening Transcript ==================== PART 1 Speaker 0: Part one. Speaker 0: You will hear a customer asking about a tour to Japan. Speaker 0: First, you have some time to look at questions one to five. Speaker 0: Now listen carefully and answer questions one to five. Speaker 1: Good afternoon. Speaker 2: Dreamtime Travel. How can I help you? Speaker 1: Hi. My name is Taylor, and I'm interested in the tours you offer to Japan. Could you give me some details about that? Speaker 2: Sure. We operate several Japanese tours. Which one in particular do you want to know? Speaker 1: Well, I like the one that mentioned whales. It's the tour of whale watching, I think. Speaker 2: Ah, yes. That's our whale watch experience. It's very popular, and it's based in a lovely little town with nice beaches not far from here. Speaker 1: Good. So is there someone guiding us on the tour? Speaker 2: Yes. Each tour has one guide during the journey, and you will go there by minibus. We like to keep our tours small and personal, so we don't take a large number of people, just 12 or 13 people usually. Speaker 1: Well, that sounds good. How much is it? Speaker 2: At this time of year, it's usually around $150 for each person, but let me check. Oh, it's actually $25 cheaper at the moment, so that's $125. You will have the opportunity to watch a group of whales performing an aqua show, which is the most eye-catching part of the whole trip. And also, you will have a tour on the boat and you can enjoy the magnificent sea views. Speaker 1: Oh, right. And how long does the tour last? Speaker 2: It's two days. That includes four hours travel time. Speaker 1: And what about the other things, you know, that are included in the price? Speaker 2: Oh, there are lots of things. If you don't wanna do the cruise, you can join a free bushwalk we offer. You will get more exercise with the walk option, and that would be attractive for those who try to keep fit. Another option is a fishing trip, which is $12. Some customers might worry about the safety of the trip, but it's unnecessary since all activities that might be dangerous will be excluded. Speaker 1: Good. Speaker 0: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions six to 10. Speaker 0: Now listen and answer questions six to 10. Speaker 1: And what about the breakfast? Do I have to pay extra money for it? Speaker 2: I'm afraid so. Breakfast is served in the hotel at a reasonable price. During the trip, tourists will have lunch together, which is free of charge. Speaker 1: And the insurance? Speaker 2: Oh, the fees you pay will cover it. Speaker 1: Okay, I see. Speaker 2: So what about the evening activities? Are we free at night? Speaker 1: Yeah, if you just want to relax, you are free to sit by the hotel pool or walk along the beach. But there is also an alternative if you are not interested in these activities. Theatre is also a great place for you to unwind. There used to be some musicals in the theatre at night, but they got cancelled as the audience found them unattractive. Now comedies are available to the public in the theater every evening, and if you want to watch them, please contact the travel agents. Speaker 2: Well, sounds good. And is dinner available at the hotel? Speaker 1: Yes. But that will cost an extra $25 more or less. I would recommend that you try the local shrimps, miso soup, and pickles. Those are delicious. Speaker 2: Wow. Sounds good. Can we purchase souvenirs from the town where we stay? Someone told me that there's a small exhibition of Japanese products near the hotel at night. Speaker 1: Oh, right. I forgot to mention that. There are a variety of products produced by factories here on display, and you can choose any object that catches your eye. Small toys are very popular among tourists. Speaker 2: Fantastic. One more question. What is the hotel room like? Speaker 1: Well, each room has a balcony. The view from there is quite beautiful as the hotel is located near a national park. Is there anything else you want to know? Speaker 2: No, thank you. That's all for now. Bye. Speaker 1: Goodbye. Speaker 3: That is the end of part one. You now have half a minute to check your answers to part one. PART 2 Speaker 4: Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15. Speaker 5: Welcome to Grampic Arts Campus for our annual residential arts weekend. I'm Bob Grain, director of the program. It's a large campus. It's quite easy to get lost, so I'm going to give you a quick overview of the most important places here. Right. I'm glad you all found your way here to reception. First, a word about parking. We do have a free temporary car park here. And for those of you coming by bike, the bike sheds aren't far from reception. You'll see them on your left as you walk down South Lane towards the residential rooms. Now dinner is in the dining room at 07:30. If you need something to eat now, the snack shop is still open. The quickest way to get there is to leave here, go straight through the office, they won't mind, the ornamental ponds in front of you, and the snack shop is the building on your left. The fitness facilities are even better this year. We've outgrown the old fitness rooms, which were next to the office. To find the new fitness rooms from here, walk up to North Road. They're at the end in the last block next to the dining room. Now your bedrooms are quite near. You can see the single rooms in the tall block to the far left of us across South Lane. Couples and families are in our family rooms, right next door to them. I'm afraid there aren't any TVs in the rooms. We ask you to keep the noise down, please. We have a TV room. You can probably see it from here. It's right opposite us in the big red building. Speaker 4: Before you hear the rest of the information, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20 on page four. Speaker 4: Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20. Speaker 5: Now about the program itself, which is the reason you're here. As you know, you've chosen your main options, but there are gaps in our timetables for some extra options. You may have this information in your brochure, but there've been some changes. Firstly, the drama option. I'm afraid our theatre and practice rooms here are being refurbished and are out of use. We decided against using our sports hall, and instead, we're going to use our lecture rooms, which we've converted into a theatre for the weekend. There are also changes to the photography option. This year, this option isn't open to everyone. We decided for practical reasons to reserve it for beginners with no previous experience. Let me remind you that you don't need any special equipment. That's provided. The tutors have said that, unfortunately, they can't accept parents with children because that proved too disruptive last time. But if you're over 18, that's fine. On to the writing option. Previous courses looked at starting your novel. This year, we wondered about focusing on the techniques of writing different types of poetry. However, as a result of many requests, we've decided the workshop will concentrate on helping each participant write one or more short stories. Poetry, maybe some future time. Now music. The brochure says you'll go to a concert. That's a misprint. Instead, you'll be writing and putting on your own performance, a concert for yourselves. Unfortunately, the singing tutor is ill. It's too late to replace her, so we've had to cancel singing lessons. Apologies for that. Finally, the creche. This is available for all families on the program, and there are still some places left. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the charge for this hasn't increased since last year. Lunch is included, but, of course, parents are welcome to collect their children and spend the lunch break with them. May I remind you that any fees for this service must be settled in full at the end of the last day. So has anybody got any questions? Speaker 4: That is the end of section two. You now have half a minute to check your answers. PART 3 Speaker 6: Part three. You will hear two students, Sarah and Charlie, talking about their presentation of artworks. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25. Speaker 7: Sara, I can't believe our presentations for art class are next week. I still have so much to do. Speaker 8: Me too. This project has been more challenging than I originally thought. What can we do to ensure we're really prepared? Speaker 7: I've always thought that having a solid conclusion is necessary for any presentation. I talked to my tutor about perhaps practicing our presentations in front of the class. This would cause us to be less nervous when it comes time for the actual presentation. But the tutor made the point that we may not have the opportunity to do this. Speaker 8: Did he have anything useful to suggest? Speaker 7: He mentioned something that helps him. When he gives a presentation, he always writes down the central points on cards, so he can glance down at them throughout his talk and know what he intends to say next. Speaker 8: I think it's an excellent idea. Speaker 7: Yeah, that sounds helpful. I was considering what to do to publicize our presentations. They comprise an exhibition of our own artworks as well as a discourse on art through history. Showing other students some photos, as the teacher suggested, isn't enough. So first, we should create some posters to pin on the notice board before producing some flyers to advertise it. Speaker 8: Great idea. Most students look at it every day. So they would be well informed. I suggest we also add some slides to our presentations. Speaker 7: Why? The speeches we have prepared can convey the content more conveniently without having to use complicated technology. When I attempt to incorporate technology in any project, I always fumble and make a mess of it. Speaker 8: True. But we mention various examples of styles of art throughout our speech. And I think it's necessary to show the audience exactly what we're referring to. This will also hold the audience's attention. And if we both have fantastic conclusions, people will be impressed. Speaker 7: We should leave the best until last. Are you aware? If you use inflection in your voice, you can better convey enthusiasm to the audience? Speaker 8: Yes. I have heard that. My tutor suggested that our introductions should pique the listener's interest. We should make them as thought-provoking as possible. I really think it's the best suggestion he's given. Speaker 7: Oh, right. Who will attend your presentation? Speaker 8: My parents are attending mine, and they've invited an art critic to come along. Speaker 7: That makes me nervous. My parents aren't sure if they will be able to attend or not, but they've invited a sculptor that they know well to be present. I hope if I can impress her, she may offer to train me in sculpting. I'm very interested in this form of art. Speaker 6: Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30. Speaker 7: I hope you are well prepared. The teacher mentioned each aspect of the presentation should have its own feature. If I get my introduction off to a good start, I will be more comfortable. Speaker 8: I want it to be ordinary and out of the ordinary at the same time. If I can do this, I should be able to hold the audience's attention throughout the entire presentation. Speaker 7: Smart. You shouldn't exclude originality completely. I couldn't find any examples of jewelry that were of high enough quality to display. I could only find cheap, inaccurate examples. Speaker 8: That's why I've chosen to show slides. There are always pictures of high quality jewelry items on the internet. I'm having trouble with my wood carvings though. I've attempted to produce some myself. But I'm unsure about the techniques I've used. Speaker 7: I don't think your technique will be critiqued so much as the variety of materials you combine to come up with something impressive. Speaker 8: Teacher mention we must use mixed media samples in our forest paintings? I have several different media styles, but I'm not sure it's enough. I still need to finish it off. Speaker 7: Actually, he made the point we must incorporate lettering into our artworks. I believe my painting portrays this quite well. I've managed to subtly hide adjectives describing the beautiful forest scene throughout the painting. Speaker 8: That's nice. I'm concerned about your conclusion. You mentioned you want it to be solid, but I notice you've included many questions for the audience. I think this may lessen the impact. The conclusion should be concise, perhaps leaving one open-ended question with the audience at the end to keep them thinking. Speaker 7: I guess you're right. I may have to rework it. In the meantime, I also need to complete several paintings for the exhibition part. I'd better get to work. Speaker 6: That is the end of part three. You now have thirty seconds to check your answers. PART 4 Speaker 9: Section four. You will hear part of a lecture about African penguins. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. Speaker 9: Good morning, everyone. Today's lecture is about a type of adorable animal, the penguin. When you think of penguins, you may picture them surrounded by snow and ice. But not all penguins live where it's cold. African penguins live in the Southern tip of Africa. They are usually found within 40 kilometres of the shore and on a number of its surrounding islands. African penguins are also known as jackass penguins because they make donkey-like braying sounds to communicate. African penguins can keep their body temperature at a stable level, but their land habitat can get quite warm, so there are a number of ways for them to stay cool. They limit their daylight movements on breeding sites on land to early mornings and early evenings to avoid too much sun. The pink glands above their eyes can help them cope with the temperate climates. Like other penguins, African penguins spend most of the day feeding in the ocean, which also helps keep them cool. Being a type of small to medium sized penguin species, African penguins average about sixty centimetres tall and weigh up to three point six kilograms. They have a black stripe and a pattern of unique black spots on their chest. Males are larger than females and have larger beaks. Even though they are categorised as birds, African penguins aren't able to fly because of their heavy bones. Their wings are more like flippers that make them particularly suited for life in the water. When they're on land, their flippers and their tails help them keep their balance and walk upright. African penguins begin to breed at the average age of four. When a male and female pair up, they tend to breed together for the rest of their lives. Most other penguins nest and lay their eggs out in the open, but African penguins have a different approach. They dig holes under bushes out of their own excrement, called guano, so they are sheltered from the sun and predators. The African penguins survive on a diet that is comprised mainly of marine organisms. They feed primarily on fish like sardines, along with the occasional squid and shellfish. But when normal food is in short supply, they eat tree roots as well. The streamlined body of the African penguin allows it to move through the water like a rocket, capable of reaching a speed of around 20 kilometres per hour when hunting for food. The African penguin's smaller size means that it has many predators both in the water and also on dry land. Their natural predators at sea include seals and sharks. The biggest threat to them on land is not just towards the adult penguins. The penguin chicks are sometimes taken by seagulls into the air and dropped from above. The seagulls could thus feed on them. At risk from predators, young penguins are protected for about forty days after hatching by both parents. They will leave the colony when they are between three to five months old and will return a few years later. The entire surface of their body is densely covered with feathers, which fall off during the winter. This process is called molting and takes about three weeks to complete. During that time, they are unable to forage. Therefore, prior to this, African penguins spend about five weeks laying down fat deposits. They generally live between ten to fifteen years. However, many do not reach their full lifespan. Their population has drastically declined. Approximately 120,000 African penguins remain in the wild, and their population has decreased by 90% in the past sixty years. They are considered to be vulnerable and have been listed as being endangered. Two major factors have contributed to their decline: they are struggling for nesting space due to human disruption and competing for food due to overfishing and pollution. With the limited number of breeding pairs, survivorship becomes difficult for African penguins. This makes them especially vulnerable as environmental conditions change or an outbreak of a disease occurs. For instance, avian malaria has caused twenty seven percent of the captive breeding penguins' deaths annually. The more genetic diversity there is within a species, the higher the likelihood that at least some of the individuals will adapt and survive.